A variety of the toilet or bath cleaning brushes and the like of this type using water have spread worldwide to be known to all and used everywhere.
The prior art cleaning brushes are intended to operate with aid of any proper detergent, powdery or liquid, that is capable of removing the dirt, soil or the like. In a case, the detergent may either be dusted over the body of a brush, or this body may be soaked in a detergent solution, so that any dirt surface area will be rubbed with such a brush body. In another case, the detergent may directly be dusted over the dirt surface area, before rubbing the latter with the bush body. In any case, the cleansing faculty of a detergent is made use of so as to remove such dirt, soil or the like.
Whenever doing any cleaning operation, an amount of any powdery or liquid classical detergent has been used. The detergent as one ingredient of a sewage has been discarded subsequently together with water, causing environmental pollution and destruction.
On the other hand, certain new kinds of vegetable detergents for tableware or kitchen utensils have recently been becoming popular as a means of protecting users' skins. However, enameled wares such as toilet stools are still cleaned with the older kinds of detergents that will cause a rough skin.
Synthetic detergents now in use may typically be classified into ABS detergents (viz., mineral oil-based detergents), higher alcoholic type detergents and nonionic detergents. ABS detergents are likely to cause dermatitis and/or liver diseases so that application of this type detergents has been vanishing, except for in some cases or occasions. The currently predominant higher alcoholic or nonionic detergents do however contain each an amount of phosphate or the like additives to enhance their washing ability. Such additives that are nutritive sub-stances to plankton will bring about its abnormal vast generation. Rivers, lakes and marshes, in particular the coasts thereof, have thus been polluted to raise a social problem that has to be solved soonest possible.
The detergents that have been used do not only have a bad influence upon earthly environment, but also give rise to human skin troubles. Therefore, it is not desirable for people to do washing or cleaning with bare hands, but is recommendable to do so with gloved hands.
The present applicant has already developed a certain means for effectively resolving these problems, in which the structure of a fiber aggregate as the cleaning member should be specialized. As disclosed in the patent document 1 noted below, such a cleaning member or body need only be impregnated with water before rubbing any dirt or stain. Thus, any detergent is no longer required when cleaning surfaces as exemplified herein above.
The present applicant has also developed already another means, in which the fiber aggregate as the cleaning body should be of a spherical or otherwise massive configuration so as to be attached to the end of a brush handle. Patent document 2 as listed below shows a brush with a grip handle constructed in this manner.
These epoch-making proposals previously made by the present applicant do scarcely need any amount of detergent when cleaning toilets, baths, washstands, kitchens, tableware, kitchen utensils or the like. It is however to be noted that an enormous number of fibers constituting a brush body have not necessarily been bound firmly to each other, thus failing to provide a rigid bundle. Some fibers included in such a brush body are prone to be displaced longitudinally thereof during use, even if they would not be pulled intentionally. Thus, it has been reported that the brush body will gradually lose its original shape as it is used for a long time, thereby resulting in a beat-up brush difficult to use.
Patent Document 1: Japan Laying-Open Gazette No. Hei. 11-187933
Patent Document 2: Japan Laying-Open Gazette No. 2002-10831